Tasia

Nice atmosphere, good food and many choices. Restaurant plans fall through occasionally.  When that happens you either turn around and go home or try something new. Last night, we tried something new.

We stumbled onto a place called, “Tasia,”  sometimes, a taste sensation is found.  Last evening was one of those times.

Busy - but with good reason - the food must be good and maybe even great, I thought to myself. Nice feelings and that is usually a tip-off to what lies ahead.  We were in line as soon as we opened the door.  One person sat on a bench in front of us, and so, I asked him, “Is this the line for a table?”

Immediately a guy standing in front of us said, “No, this is for take-out. The restaurant is right over there,” and he pointed the way. 

We were greeted immediately and told they were getting a table ready.  A few minutes zipped by and she said, “My name is Courtney and I will be your server tonight. Your table is ready...follow me.”

Stephanie enjoyed the lit Fig Tree adjacent to us.  It was pretty. Dainty lanterns hung from the ceiling and gave a definite Oriental feel. The wait was enjoyable because even though they were busy the noise level didn’t seem high at all. Hard to understand me, and hard of hearing, Steph talked and listened to one another easily.  The ambiance was terrific and drew us in.

Courtney brought us menus to view and then took our drink order.  Stephanie had her “Raspberry Iced Tea and I, a Diet Coke, sometimes I just don’t feel like coffee or tea.  I could have had an alcoholic beverage but I don’t do that anymore.

Stephanie ordered Egg Drop Soup and I ordered an appetizer for us of Calamari Tempura. Her soup came and she said it was terrific even if it was healthy. I was glad to see the many vegetables in it. She surprisingly ate it all.

Since it took so long for the Calamari they gave us an order of Crab Rangoon as an appeasement. The crab appetizer came with a sweet and sour or a hot mustard choice. Steph chose the sweet and sour, but I had the hot mustard. Before getting a bite to my mouth, I had a whiff of it and my plugged nose was immediately cleared up.  It was delicious or as they would say in Japan, おいしい : Oishī.

But this is not a Japanese, Chinese, Korean or Thai restaurant. It is an Asian restaurant which includes those dishes and more.  I can attest to their Cashew Chicken which was done in a rich, brown cashew sauce poured generously over the breaded chicken nuggets. Their fried rice was wonderful enough to accompany this fine meal.  Portions were plentiful as I will eat the same at home tonight.

Stephanie’s Sweet & Sour Chicken was one of the best she’d ever had, according to her, and I can only believe her words.  She had a large cup, bowl really of steamed rice with her meal and I wondered where she put it all. 

There are so many choices on the menu.  I don’t know about you but as my daughter and I...we can’t wait to return! Next time we will try to save room for their Japanese ice cream!

I Always Make Time for Tasia!. I should disclose this directly: back when it opened in 2005, I was part of the original staff. I worked there for 5 years until I moved to New York, and every time I come back to Springfield, I eat at Tasia. There's nothing like Tasia's Hot and Sour Soup, Crab Rangoon (it's homemade), their Pad Thai, Chop Chae, Vegetable Deluxe, or their sauces: Sczechaun, Sweet and Sour, Sesame, Orange, Firecracker...obviously, I could go on all day, but it's all just so good that I have to! Everything is fresh, all the sauces are homemade, the entire restaurant is very clean, and the dishes can meet any special dietary needs such as vegetarianism, a gluten-free diet, or allergies. I love the food, know how it's prepared, know how the kitchen treats it (my little sister works there now and keeps me up to date), and I know the owners. Perhaps former employees aren't encouraged to review their own restaurant, but during the 4 years it's been since I worked there, I know plenty of people who worked in the food industry and won't go back to eat at their former places of employment. So I like to boast to everyone that when I come home to visit I still return to Tasia once every few days to eat something different each time. It's the best Asian food in Springfield, hands down, and worth coming home to! I absolutely love it!

The happy family with Sechuan sauce was awesome-so was the Tasia roll!

Beware of rocks. I have eaten here several times and the food is always great but the last time(earlier this year) I had a pea sized rock in my rice. The staff was very apologetic and took care of things though.

Great food, but not good for a quick lunch. Always takes at least 20-30 minutes to get our food.

Great food, wonderful atmosphere, and superb service. Our family eats here alot and I always recommend it to all of my friends!